Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

John Davidson immigrated from Dundee, Scotland to Lower Canada in 1818, where he settled on the east bank of the Salmon River. A year later he built a loading dock, and opened a storefront from his cabin which became the centre of activity in the burgeoning village he named after his birthplace. His general store was the first post office in what would become the Township of Dundee.

Now, 205 years later, the council of Dundee Township officially commemorated Davidson’s role in founding the municipality by naming the community park in his honour.

It took Mayor Linda Gagnon and the Dundee Historical Committee president, Marie Myre, a few seconds to unveil the name during a brief ceremony at the park located next to the town hall and post office on July 1. But the process to find the right name for the park took time.

“Nothing is simple. And above all, it’s very slow,” said Gagnon during a short speech before the new sign at the entrance to the park was revealed. Municipal officials began tossing around the idea of naming the municipal park soon after it was inaugurated in 2022.

The council was on board immediately, but then things grew complicated. “It took several hours of discussion,” said Gagnon, who admitted there was a lot of back-and-forth in terms of the different names under consideration. So, they brought the Dundee Historical Committee into the conversation.

Once the name was chosen and a descriptive text was produced, the committee settled on a concept for the double-sided sign that incorporates John Davidson’s actual signature into the design.

Along with the sign, the municipality has continued to add new features to the municipal park, including surfaces for different recreational activities and landscaping. A new sandbox will soon be added for younger children as well.

Gagnon said that in naming the John Davidson Park, the council and all those involved wanted to spark some additional municipal pride for residents. Immediately following the ceremony, those in attendance were invited to stay for a light lunch in celebration of the municipality’s annual Citizen’s Day.